1991 AGN JAN 03 I14 - Laserfiche WebLink

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4trihRpnt,;4ravPntive Mai ntotiat►ra roa;viatioris in raiifort, ia is tient Cuiiuuat'Cidl-tyfld VOI&Cltlb cd(iuicel iuuce wdintr,a►dncd tlidri du tuutit 1iJS11t, personal -use type vehicles. When commercial -type vehicles go out of control for any reason, the damage they cando before coming to rest is far greater than that which most personal -use size vehicles are likely to cause. WHAT IS AN "EFFECTIVIE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM? When the preventive maintenance regulations of various government agencies were originally drafted decades ago, those who developed them did so by first finding outhow the most successful transportation companies managed to minimize accidents and breakdowns. Invariably, a well-managed preventive maintenance inspection program was a major part of their success, along with constant training of drivers and mechanics. Therefore, the regulations in existence today, while having public safety as their objective, actually require that motor carriers maintain their vehicles using methods that are just good business practices. In other words, preventive maintenance pays dividends not only in improved equipment safety and reliability, but also financially, by extending the life of the vehicles and by.minimizing the high cost of breakdowns and accidents. What constitutes an effective preventive maintenance program varies considerably from one type of vehicle to another, from one type of service to another, and from one set of operating conditions to another. For example, a logging truck operated mostly on steep, rough, dusty, unimproved roads in the Sierra Mountains will obviously need to have its oil and filters changed, its air- cleaner serviced, and its brakes adjusted far more frequently than would a lumber truck that runs mainly up and down Interstate 5. Most other maintenance operations would need to be spaced closer together for the logger than for the lumber truck as well. The loggers brakeswilldeteriorate faster due to dirt and rocksgetting into the drums, the heavier use of the brakes, the greater loads the brakes usually must control, and the more hostile environment they must survive. For this reason, the motor carrier safety regulations do not attempt to spell - out every detail of what each type of carrier must do to properly maintain its vehicles-. Section 1232 (a), 13 CCR, statws that the objective of a proper preventive maintenance program for vehicles subject to its mandate is "to ensure they are in safe and proper operating condition. Therefore, an "effective" preventive maintenance program is one that is appropriate to the operation of a particular motor carrier, considering the type of vehicles operated, the mileage those vehicles accumulate, and the severity of the operating conditions in which they must work. Whether the program is to be judged "appropriate" or not is determined by the condition in which the vehicles are found when they are brought in for service. If numerous items of equipment are found out of adjustment, damaged, or otherwise HPG 84.6 2-4